Return From The Veil
by princessg101
Summary: Curiosity may have killed the cat but it also brought it back from the dead...with consequences
1. Prologue - How?

Return From The Veil  
Prologue – How?

**A/N: Greetings and welcome to my brand new story. Post DH but prior to the epilogue, slight AU but nothing too bad. The story pretty much explains itself so ENJOY R&R PLZ!**

It was sunny spring day or at least that's what the windows were set to in the Ministry. Witches and wizards of all kinds bustled about, carrying on their day to day business with Hermione Granger among them. But on this day, it wasn't the usual business at all and while Hermione tried to remain professional and calm in the Ministry lift, on her way to the Auror Department, on the inside she bursting with giddiness and her heel kept bouncing in her excitement to find her friends and tell them about her discovery. The other witches and wizards either didn't notice or just though she was impatient to leave the lift; regardless they did not comment, after all it wasn't like they could ask an Unspeakable of all people if something was wrong. Finally the lift clattered open and Hermione practically raced out it and weaved through the cubicles to get to Ron's. She found her boyfriend there doing paperwork and eating a sandwich when she grabbed his upper arm, "Come with me." She didn't wait for him to respond and began dragging him to the Head Auror's office where Harry sat going over some files. She pulled Ron inside and shut the door behind them.

Harry looked up, "Hermione?"

"I did it," Hermione blurted out happily. "I solved them. I knew there was more to it and I was right. You two have to come to my office right now. You won't believe me until you see it."

"Hermione we're kind of busy…" Harry trailed off at his best friend's pleading look.

"Please Harry," Hermione whined. "You have to see it. You'll come right Ron?"

Ron knew how hard Hermione had been working on this project for the last six years since the war, "Yeah I'll come."

"See, Harry now you have to," Hermione turned back the black-haired man.

"Okay, okay," Harry got to his feet. "I am pretty curious. I mean do they fit together or something?"

"You'll see," Hermione promised as she led them from the office back to the elevators. She took them through the complex labyrinth of the halls to her office and with a grin pushed the door. "TA DA!"

Harry and Ron didn't really know what they were expecting but what they saw definitely wasn't it. They slowly walked into the room, dumbfounded and awed. They hadn't been this level of impressed with Hermione's intelligence since their school days and even then she had never done something like this. Both of them only had one word for her, "How?"


	2. The Second Veil

Return From The Veil  
Chapter 1 – The Second Veil

**A/N: Hey guys, ooooohhhh I'm so excited about this chapter, I felt particularly clever when I came up with this concept. ENJOY R&R PLZ!**

From the second Harry and Ron entered Hermione's office it was hard not to notice what she was so excited about even if they had no idea where it had come from. The space in front of her desk had been cleared of its chairs and in their place was a veil similar to the one in the deeper bowels of the ministry except this one's arch was made of wood that appeared rooted in the floor and had three distinctive knots at the top. From these knots was suspended the veil portion that was clearly Harry's cloak. All too familiar with the other veil Harry hesitated to touch that part but he did run his hand up the frame, "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes Harry, that is the Elder wand," Hermione confirmed from behind.

"Where's the Stone?" asked Ron.

"Inside the wand, look at the top." The guys took a closer look and spotted a tiny green gem embed in each knot.

"How?" Harry turned to his friend.

"The clues were always there but I just didn't see it," Hermione closed the door behind her and walked over to her discovery. "I had to think both literally and figuratively."

"Meaning…" Ron pressed.

"Start with the symbol for the Hallows," Hermione got a piece of paper from her desk and held it up. It had a large Deathly Hallows symbol on it. "Figuratively speaking it means that the hallows are a set, together. Literally speaking, look again, the stone is _in_ the wand with the wand supporting the cloak."

"Okay but where did this come from?" Harry waved towards the veil. "You knew about it?"

"I had my suspicions but I actually didn't know what would happen so I consulted the closest thing I had to a source," she picked up the old copy of Tales of Beedle the Bard. "I took the story and combined it with actual historical fact. I realised that everything was just one big allegory for the study of death and necromancy. The first thing that tipped me off was that the brothers were travelling at twilight and that is significant because those were times that necromancers would work because the laws prohibited it specifically during the day and night."

"That doesn't leave a lot of time for study," Ron pointed out.

"No it doesn't which is why not many people continued to practice it and why I think Beedle described it as 'a lonely winding road', the amount of dedication it would have taken… And there was the river. I didn't know what to make of it because at this point of the tale, something too deep to wade through and too hard to swim across. It sounds like a metaphor of death but they survived which didn't make sense at all because they didn't have the hallows at this time. So that's I had to switch literally to figuratively. I think something happened to the Peverell family, they were confronted with death and they didn't meet Death in person, they were only able to see it."

"I don't follow," Harry crossed his arms.

"Well this is where my theory actually has something to back it up. I examined the cloak and Elder wand and found that both had Threstral hair."

"Ohhhhh," Ron and Harry said together.

"I don't know how they made the Stone but I think they found a Threstral and used its inherent connection to the death to make the items and whatever happened afterwards must've been bad because we know that they would split up and take one piece each for themselves."

"I wonder what this veil does," Harry moved to stand in front of it, Hermione and Ron on either side.

"He who brings together all the three Hallows shall be the conqueror of Death," Hermione murmured.

"Immortality?" Ron supposed.

"Or a way out," Harry whispered. It was like the veil was entrancing them; Harry thought of his parents and Sirus, Ron imagined seeing Fred again, and Hermione had visions of reuniting little Teddy with Remus and Tonks. It wasn't so much instinctive as it was mindless; together they reached up touching their own knots. Like a sudden hurricane, the veil came alive with a gust of wind coming from the inside that was so powerful it sent them stumbling backwards on to the ground. Shielding their eyes from the flying papers and dust, they did not see when it happened next; they heard a number of thuds and the ground vibrating slightly beneath them. Winds died down and the trio was surprised and slightly terrified by the sounds of groans and heavy breathing that weren't coming from them.

"Harry? Is that you?"

Harry froze; slowly he sat up and turned his head meeting the eyes for the first time in eight years the eyes of his godfather Sirius Black only to realise something more astonishing than that – he wasn't alone.


	3. They're Back

Return From The Veil  
Chapter 2 – They're Back

**A/N: Hey guys, wow it's been two beautiful years of writing Fanfiction and I can honestly say I have loved every second of it. And now :::rubs hands gleefully::: time to get serious – ON WITH THE STORY!**

With shaky legs, the trio got to their feet disbelieving of the sight in front of them. Sirius Black looked exactly the way he did when they last saw him right down to the robes and stubble on his chin. That in itself would've been enough to shock them but what else had emerged from the veil brought tears to their eyes and rendered them still and speechless. Remus and Tonks stood to Sirius's right, Fred on his immediate left, and finally Lily and James Potter beside Fred.

"Harry? Is that you?" Sirius asked again.

Harry couldn't believe it, "Sirius…" His breathing became heavier and a moment later they were hugging each other tightly. "Sirius my god you're back!" Harry sobbed. This unexpected reunion with his godfather brought all the old emotions right up to the surface. "I'm so sorry Sirius! I was an idiot, I -"

"Enough," Sirius stopped him. "What happened, happened and no harm done now apparently," they chuckled lightly. "But I never blamed you," Sirius pulled away to look his godson in the eye, "it was never your fault. But I think there are some people you should meet," Sirius smiled and redirected Harry's attention to his parents

"Hello Harry," Lily said timidly, taking a small step forward.

"Mum? Dad?" Harry could've shouted for joy.

"My son," Lily opened her arms and he didn't hesitate to step in. "My baby boy, let me look at you." Lily held his face, brushing his hair away. "So handsome, and so grown up."

"Very grown up," James amended holding Harry's left hand that bore his wedding ring.

"Congratulations Harry," Remus grinned.

"Remus, Tonks," Harry turned to them, embracing both.

"Welcome back," Hermione greeted while receiving a hug from Sirius.

"Blimey you're old," Fred poked his little brother.

"Shut up Fred," Ron half-laughed, half-cried and then they too were holding each other. He let go to take Hermione's hand, "Thank you love." He kissed her soundly, "Thank you so much."

"Thanks Mya," Harry stepped up too and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You are the greatest witch of all time."

"You're welcome," Hermione wiped her eyes. "At running the risk of killing the moment, we shouldn't get too excited. We ought to have you guys checked out, make sure you're really back. Plus we can't have it get out that we can raise the dead."

"Good point," Tonks nodded.

"This is an impressive piece of magic," Remus examined the veil. "Is that the Cloak?"

"Yeah," Hermione nodded. "And believe it or not, the arch is actually Dumbledore's wand. In combination with a stone, they make this. It took me years to work it out but obviously, I got there in the end."

"Any way to get them back?" James asked.

"I'm sure there is a way to disassemble it but I don't know how as yet," Hermione answered. "I'll figure it out."

"Wait did you just say _years_?" Tonks's gaze widened.

"The war ended six years ago," Ron supplied.

"So how long have we been gone?" Lily inquired.

Hermione did the mental math, "Remus, Tonks, and Fred, you all died the day the war ended so six years for you. That means Sirius has been away for eight, and Lily and James, you were gone for…give or take about twenty-two years."

James whistled lowly, "Hell of a long time."

"The only thing that matters is that you're back," Harry put in. "You've got all the time in the world, you'll catch up eventually." Hermione however was worried, there was still too much they weren't sure about.

Case in point. "Guys," Sirius called. "I think something is wrong, it's shaking." Sure enough, the veil had sprung to vibrate violently, so much so that the floor shook and the Cloak.

The gusting wind came back and the trio screamed, "GET DOWN!" They all dived to the side, shielding their faces, more thumps shook the floor and voices filled the air. The winds died down and they looked up not knowing who to expect this time and when they did, Hermione had to clap a hand over her mouth to stop the scream horror, Harry's blood chilled, and Ron went pale. The newly returned were filled with dread, afraid of what would happen next. Lucius Malfoy who had died in prison not six months before was now in the room looking like he had never faced death. Fenrir Greyback struggled to his feet somewhat disoriented. Bellatrix Lestrange held her brother in-law's hand as she rose, taking in the surroundings. Peter Pettigrew only had eyes for the marauders as they stared each other down with a mixture of fear, hate, and shock. Barty Crouch Jr. dusted himself off arrogantly because at the center was the one man that very few ever wanted to see again; Lord Voldemort had risen…again.

**A/N: Yup heeeeeeeeeee'sssssssss baaaaaaaccckkkkk, come on, you can't have a story with characters that rise from the dead without including the guy whose name literally means 'fly from death'. If you guys are following me from Tick In Time, you know I don't get too dark so relax and ENJOY! R&R PLZ!**


	4. The Rising

Return From The Veil  
Chapter 3 – The Rising

Lord Voldemort briefly examined himself much like he had done after emerging from the cauldron; he was no longer the snake-like skeleton but had regained his more human appearance Harry had seen in the diary's memory although he was much older. Thankfully with the piece of the Dark Lord's soul no longer in him, the pain Harry would have experienced did not come and he sprang to his feet, wand drawn, Ron, Hermione, and for some reason Sirius followed suit. The others did not possess wands and grouped behind the armed ones while the Death Eaters huddled around Voldemort creating a stand-off in the middle of the office. "Tom," Harry greeted coldly.

"Harry," Voldemort smirked.

"Four wands against none," Harry narrowed his eyes. "I don't really see any reason for you to smile."

"Are you going to kill me? Again? Or will be Dumbledore's good little boy and arrest me?" Voldemort challenged. "As you can see, nothing you do can subdue Lord Voldemort. I am true symbol of power and now all my followers will know it."

"Not this time," it was Harry's turn to smirk. "If you want to know how you came back, you might to look at the woman beside me. Hermione Granger, a muggleborn, was the one who constructed the veil. Go and tell your followers a mudblood brought you back. No offence Hermione."

"None taken," Hermione shrugged without taking her eyes off Bellatrix. "If fact I'd love to be there when he makes the announcement."

Voldemort's face immediately contorted with displeasure, "It's doesn't how I came back or by whose hand, I am here Potter and you won't be able to stop me this time!" Voldemort swung his arm and all the scattered papers rose up like a loose tidal wave. Unfortunately the door was closer to the Death Eaters' side of the room and they were able to escape. Harry and rest gave chase, firing spells but the Death Eaters were able to the Department of Mysteries personal Floo area and escaped.

"DAMMIT!" Ron punched the wall.

"Come on we have to tell Kingsley," Hermione panted but nonetheless started towards the elevators. "He's the minister now."

"And the Aurors," James added. "We've got to talk to Head Auror, don't know how we're going explain this."

"Dad its okay," Harry smiled weakly. "I am the Head Auror."

"Well that makes things simpler," Fred chuckled. "Well done mate."

"Come on we have to get to Kingsley's office," Ron urged and they took off. Not really in the right mindset for pretense, they ran most of the way and burst into the reception area of the Minister's office looking like they had participated in a marathon.

Kingsley's secretary Deidra, a petite brunette, was taken aback. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger and…company, what can I do for you?"

"We have to see the Minister urgently," Harry pled.

"I'm afraid he's in a meeting right now," Deidra shook her head but Harry didn't have time for this.

"Fine then take him a message right now, tell him I am calling a code phoenix, GO NOW!"

Deidra jumped from her seat and hurried over to the office door. She gently tapped on it and opened it enough to poke her face in first and the rest of her body. They could hear her say, "Sorry for the interruption Minister but Auror Potter is here and said to tell you…" The door shut behind her and less than five seconds later, the doors swung open and a line of officials filed out grumbling amongst themselves.

"Most abrupt!"

"And rude, not very becoming of Minister!"

"How dare he?! I've been in government longer than he's been alive!"

Kingsley came to door, not all concerned with the men that were leaving. He pointed to the group, "You. Inside. Now." He went to turn back only to double-take and realise to whom he was speaking.

"We'll explain inside," Hermione muttered tersely while passing him. They trouped into the office and Kingsley shut the door firmly behind them.

"Alright explain," Kingsley invited leaning against his desk. Hermione did most of the talking but the others occasionally jumped in, describing where the veil came from, what happened, and specifically who was back. Kingsley listened in contemplative silence and when they finished he said, "Well this is a mess but first things first, we call the Order." He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a thick, rigid, golden bracelet and tapped it with his wand. It floated in the air right in front of his face so he could speak through it like an old-fashioned microphone.

_Attention Order, Code Phoenix, he's back, Meeting tonight at the Potter House at 7…_

The recently returned were somewhat confused by this until they looked around and noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione all had similar bands that were shining.

*RTFV*

Elsewhere, Molly Weasley was hanging up her laundry when she caught sight of her own bracelet reacting and automatically called, "ARTHUR!"

*RFTV*

Ginny was at home looking after young Teddy and baby James Sirius when she saw it and muttered, "This can't be good."

*RFTV*

George was ringing up a customer when he noticed but had to pretend like everything was fine but on the inside, his stomach was twisting.

*RFTV*

Everywhere the Order was being alerted including its most unexpected member who sat by the fire in his home.

"Everything okay sweetheart?" his wife asked.

"Fine."

*RFTV*

Back at the Ministry, Kingsley finished speaking and put his bracelet back on. "We have some work to do, we must stay ahead of him."

"I'm sorry Kingsley, this was all my fault," Hermione apologized. "I'm the reason he's back."

"Hermione that's not true," Ron said quickly. "You didn't know what would happen."

"It doesn't matter Ron," Hermione turned away from the rest. "If anyone gets hurt, it will be on my head."

"Everything will be okay, they don't even have wands," Remus comforted.

"About that, Harry I want you to send an Auror or two to the different wandmakers, especially Ollivander's, we don't want to lose him again. Hermione do you know how to close the veil?"

"Not yet."

"Then I want some Aurors stationed outside your office, in case anymore come through."

"What about us?" James gestured to himself, Lily, Remus, Tonks, and Fred. "What are we going to do for wands?"

"We'll think of something," Kingsley sighed. "But I think it would be best if you lay low. We ought to be careful who we tell."

"More importantly," Hermione added. "If the veil is malfunctioning somehow, we can't trust it's magic."

"Does this mean we can't see Teddy?" Tonk clutched Remus's arm.

"You can see him but it might be best not to say anything about being his parents until we're sure," Harry reasoned. "He's only six, it'll be too much for him."

"He's right," Remus admitted. "By the way, when's the full moon?"

"Next week I think," Harry rubbed his chin. "Ted gets kind of fussy around that time."


	5. Potter House

Return From The Veil  
Chapter 4 – Potter House

Kingsley ordered Harry to mobilize the Aurors so he sent Ron, Hermione, and the rest to the house ahead of him to help prepare for the emergency Order meeting. They apparated to Godric's Hollow and walked quickly through the village, fearful that Death Eaters might show up at any minute. However they did have to stop for one thing –

Lily gasped, "My god, is that…" She stared at her old home with watery eyes, James came up from behind to hold her. The old Potter house had not decayed much in terms of structure but plants seemed to have taken over more of it. For Lily and James, this was a punch to the gut they never expected.

"Look," Hermione grabbed the gate and the sign rose up from the bushes.

"Our house is a memorial now," Lily sniffed sadly.

"I didn't think I could return there anyway," James admitted. "Not after…that." They turned away from the house and continued down the lane to a slightly larger one at the end of the road. It was a rustic looking place, with brown bricks and dark brown shingles so that it was almost like a stone cottage. It had a wide front porch that spanned the front of the house and still plenty of green space for decent lawn and garden. As the group walked through the gate the door opened and a tall, willowy woman with red hair stepped out. "Ron? Hermione? Where's Harry? And who -" Ginny Potter stopped short when she got a good look at who was with her brother and friend.

"Ginny, Hermione finally had some luck with the Hallows," Ron said lightly.

Ginny walked straight up to her recently returned brother but stopped short of touching him, like she was afraid of breaking the illusion, "It can't be… Are you really…"

"Possibly," Fred replied. "The Veil is malfunctioning right now so we're not sure."

That helped bring Ginny out of it slightly, "What?"

"We'll talk inside" Remus gestured for everyone to go in and Ginny nodded, leading the way. She brought them to the living room and they all settled down on the couch and armchairs.

They told her everything and Ginny stared at Lily and James, "So you're…"

"Harry's parents yes," Lily replied gently. "You must be Harry's wife."

"Ginny Potter," Ginny confirmed. "I'm also Ron and Fred's little sister."

"That git married my sister!" Fred went wide-eyed.

"I've been married for three years," Ginny smiled weakly. "You're a little too late to get all protective."

"Oh it's never too late to be protective Gin," Fred disagreed. "I think I'll speak to the Head Auror when he gets here. He'll be lucky if he doesn't get a Canary Cream mixed up in his treacle tart."

Ginny's eyes watered but she blinked it away, "Anyway I guess there is someone you should meet. Wait here." She got up and ran upstairs, reappearing moments later with a little child in her arms.

"Oh my…" Lily gasped getting to her feet, James following suit.

Ginny introduced, "This is your grandson James Sirius. He's one." She passed the infant to Lily and she looked ready to cry again.

"He looks his father," Lily commented. "Except the eyes, he has -"

"His mother's eyes," the room chanted.

"Harry gets that a lot," Hermione smiled.

"He named his son after me," James tweaked the baby's nose.

"And me," Sirius added.

"That means double trouble for you," Remus warned Ginny.

"I'll try to cope," Ginny shrugged. "Teddy is here too but he's down for a nap right now. You can look in on him if you want."

"Yes please," Tonks immediately agreed, Remus at her side.

"Upstairs, first door on the left." The Lupins went upstairs and softly made their way to room. Blue was the theme of room; blue walls, blue bed-sheets and blankets, and blue carpet. The bed stood against the right side of room with a wardrobe at the end of it, there was an end table under the window next to the bed and then some low book shelves filled with books and a toy chest on the left. The wall by the bed was decorated with luminous stickers of the moon and stars while the opposite wall was decorated with lots of pictures including a blown up one of Remus and Tonks holding Teddy as a baby. From their spot at the door, all the Lupins could see was a lump huddled under the blankets. Unable to resist, Tonks tiptoed in, grateful there wasn't anything around to trip on, and peered over the covers to see part of her son's face. He had brown hair like Remus's but she couldn't see much else.

Remus peeked over her shoulder, "We should go. He'll be awake soon I imagine."

"But then we have to pretend not to be his parents," Tonks sighed. "Let's just enjoy this for a little longer."

Downstairs, everyone had relocated to the kitchen and was having a snack when there was a knock at the door. "Be careful Gin," Ron warned.

Ginny nodded, tucking her wand in her sleeve. She moved to answer and they heard her exclaim, "Guys it's okay, it's just mum and dad." Fred stood up, his hands trembling. They could still hear Ginny in the hall greeting the rest of the family and saying, "Listen you need to prepare yourselves, this is going to be a shock." Ginny appeared first, nervousness written all over her face. Molly and Arthur were right behind her followed by Percy, George, Bill, and Fleur who carried a young girl in her arms. They all stopped dead in their tracks and Molly's legs nearly gave out but Arthur caught her.

"How – how – Fred…" Molly rushed for her son, gripping him like a lifeline, Arthur with her. Percy was next then Bill and Fleur who introduced their four-year old daughter Victoire. But one person that conspicuously outside of the picture and that was George who remained by the kitchen doorway with red-rimmed eyes.

"Georgie…" Fred said softly.

"Are you really back? For good?" George chewed his cheek, trying very hard not to cry. "You're not going to go away again are you?"

Fred and Hermione shared a sad look. "I can't promise you that George," Fred admitted regretfully.

"What?" Molly shrieked. "What do you mean?"

"We don't know Molly, there's been a complication," Hermione had to stamp back the wave of guilt. "The way Fred and the others came back has been compromised."

"But I'm here now," Fred pled with his twin. "Please mate… I missed you."

"I can't lose you again," George shook his head slowly. "Not again," George kept shaking his head, turning and leaving the room. Fred was heartbroken.

"He'll come around," Bill said calmly. "He wouldn't dare waste a chance to have more time with you."

Just then Remus and Tonks reappeared and received their own greetings and those at Ministry, explained again what had happened. "Thank god Kingsley is minister," Arthur said finally. "He's been very careful to have protocol in place to defend against more dark wizards."

"We'll talk about it more when the rest of the Order gets here," Hermione nodded.

Right on cue, the doorbell rang. Ginny sighed, "Looks like they're here."


	6. The Order Reconvenes

Return From The Veil  
Chapter 5 – The Order Reconvenes

The Order of the Phoenix had merged with Dumbledore's Army since the last war and their main job was to help with the recovery effort and stamp down any more Dark uprisings. Harry and Kingsley had arrived with Neville, Luna, Lee, Dean, Seamus, and the Patil Twins so after welcoming back the once-departed – George returned but did not speak to Fred – they all sat down at the dining table to discuss their big problem.

"I spoke to him before we left the ministry," Harry was saying to Kingsley as they settled into their places. "He can't make it but he's on the lookout."

"Good," Kingsley nodded.

"Who?" Sirius asked.

"Not right now," Harry dismissed it. "It's a long story."

"Anyway our job right now is to stop Voldemort from rebuilding his base," with that alone Kingsley was able to command the group's attention. "We have Aurors stationed at major wand shops and Gringotts is on high alert but that doesn't mean they are without resources."

"They could easily go abroad," Neville suggested.

"I've alerted the other ministries and sent pictures so they can be on the lookout," Kingsley reported. "It's not foolproof but it's something."

"He won't leave," Harry frowned. "If nothing else, he wants to take me down first."

"Back to being the Chosen One mate," Ron smirked.

"Fantastic," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Hermione," Bill turned to the witch. "You said that the Veil had malfunctioned somehow, have you tried closing it?"

"I would if I knew how," Hermione stated baldly. "I didn't know that the Hallows came together to make a veil in the first place. I am going to have to study it to figure out how it can be disassembled."

"Can't we just burn it?" James said frustrated. "I mean I know the Cloak has been in my family for generations but I think under the circumstances our ancestors wouldn't be that upset."

"Well first of all, the Cloak is in destructible," Hermione pointed out. "And the stone is not flammable and you can't light a wand on fire just like that."

"You can't?" Tonks asked.

"All wands are protected from the four elements on the outside. The only way to burn a wand is to snap it and expose the wood in the middle to fire."

"Nice try though Prongs," Sirius shrugged. "What about the people, Voldemort could still attack a family and take their wands and possessions."

"The Daily Prophet has been notified and leaflets are on their way out to citizens as we speak," Kingsley responded. "We've had a long time to plan for this Sirius. We left nothing to chance."

"Will we need to roll out Potterwatch again?" Lee asked.

"I think that might be a bit much, at least for now," Remus countered. "It's not like the media is working against us this time."

"Good point Remus," Kingsley acknowledged. "We want the public alert but we don't want to send them into a panic."

"Well let's think logically," Percy jumped in. "If you're Voldemort and the Death Eaters, you need a base, a headquarters like us and this house. Which reminds me Harry -"

"Fidelius Charm is already up," Harry assured him. "I'm Secret Keeper so I'll tell you guys the address once we're outside."

"Percy has a point," Ginny continued. "They need somewhere to set up camp so to speak."

"The Crouch properties have been sold off," Harry ticked them off on his fingers. "Andromeda and Narcissa decided to sell the Lestrange estate too. The old Riddle manor house would be too obvious but I think we should still check there at some point. Pettigrew was essentially homeless after spending his entire life as a rat. I don't know about Greyback…"

"Homeless too," Remus supplied. "He preferred to forage in the woods or stay in caves like he felt proper wolves should. Owning houses were for men."

"That just leaves Malfoy Manor," Fred said. "Maybe we should go there first." Just then the bracelets grew hot and those who had them sprung up, immediately readying themselves for a fight.

"Looks like we don't have to go searching after all," Ginny tied up her hair.

"We just a got signal," Ron explained to the rest, holding up his bracelet-wrist. "The Death Eaters have been spotted."

"Mum, Dad, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, please stay here, you guys don't have weapons yet," Harry requested.

"We understand, be careful sweetheart," Lily tried to be calm.

"All of you, be safe," Tonks

"We will," Harry promised. He turned to the Order, "Let's go!"


	7. The Father, The Son

Return From The Veil  
Chapter 6 – The Father, The Son

Riddle and his Death Eaters tumbled out the fireplace into what used to be Borgin and Burkes but clearly the place had been shut down. The merchandise was gone and the windows were boarded but nevertheless they had evaded the ministry and Potter for the time being. "We are not staying long," Voldemort announced. "This was merely a way to get out of the ministry. I have little doubt that the Order will be called and all of the Ministry will be set on our tails."

"Where will we go my lord?" Bellatrix asked.

"Where can we go?" Peter muttered audibly. "We've no wands, no food, no money, and no place to stay."

"All of which will be rectified in short order if you shut your mouth Wormtail," Voldemort hissed. "I managed to keep some of the ministry's Floo powder, we have enough for just one more trip. Food and money do not worry me as much as our lack of wands does; thankfully I know a place that can provide them without us attracting much attention. Come along," Riddle was able to wandlessly ignite some scraps of wood; enough to build a fire that everyone got into and disappeared again. When they came out, they were in a tiny abandoned cottage that had been converted into a workshop. One look out the windows told them that they were in the woods and very likely no longer in England.

"Where are we my lord?" Crouch queried.

"This, my friends, is the workshop of famed Bulgarian wandmaker Gregorovitch, an old friend." Voldemort smirked and his followers knew exactly what he meant; Bellatrix and Crouch chuckled under the breath. "Poor fellow met with a rather untimely end but before he went he told me that he would create his wands here then Floo with the finished products into his shop in the nearby village. It was for the best since he had owned the extremely powerful Elder Wand and thieves were bound to be lurking and indeed it was stolen from him upon a rare occasion when he brought it to his home. I came here once and I know he kept a small stock of some finished wands." They looked about and sure enough in a small cupboard by the workbench they found a small cache of a dozen or so wands. Voldemort went first, followed by Bellatrix, then Lucius; all of them tried the different wands, choosing the ones that felt best in their hands. It was like having a missing limb suddenly come back, with wands the Death Eaters felt more confident and stood before their master ready to fight. "That's better," Voldemort said satisfactorily.

"My lord, I think my residence would be the best choice," Lucius volunteered. "The property is sufficiently away from the general public, we won't have to worry about being seen."

"My lord I think it would be best for me to rejoin the wolves immediately," Greyback growled.

"No Greyback, we cannot start campaigning until we know the current state of affairs. For all we know, this ministry might have been able to recruit more wolves to be on their side. Similarly can be said for any surviving Death Eaters, who knows how many have turned their backs on me once more or have moved on thinking me dead."

"But surely news of your return has been made public -" Bellatrix began.

"That raises another issue for us," Riddle pointed to his followers' arms. "Your Dark Marks have vanished, as will have all the others upon my demise. It will be impossible to call the rest of our family, traitors or not. However Lucius is correct, for now we must return to England and Malfoy Manor appears to be our most viable option." Without another word, they all turned on spot, vanishing with several loud cracks.

They rematerialized in front of the familiar iron gates but when they pushed to open them, they wouldn't budge. Studying from their vantage point, most of the hedges and the peacocks had been cleared away leaving a wide open lawn. A magnificent fountain bubbled on the left and the front of the house had immaculate rose bushes but the right side is what really drew their attention, especially Lucius and Bellatrix. Toys were scattered across the grass and a small child played amongst them being watched by a woman seated on a white patio set. They knew it wasn't Narcissa because of the dark hair and for one moment, they wondered whether Draco had sold the house…

That was until the woman spotted them at the gate, "Who are you?" She picked up the child and held him protectively.

"Let us in!" Greyback ordered frightening and faster than lightning, her wand was out.

"DRACO!" She shouted over her shoulder.

"It's alright Astoria," Draco came out. "Fenrir was never any good at manners." He put an arm around Astoria, "Come on, there are some people you should meet." He led her right up to the gates, "Astoria sweetheart, this is Aunt Bellatrix, my mum's sister, and my father Lucius Malfoy. Father, Auntie, this is my wife Astoria."

"Greengrass's daughter?" Lucius asked and Draco nodded. "I am happy to see you settled down with a nice pureblood girl. Greetings, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Mr. Malfoy," Astoria replied guardedly. "This is our son Scorpius."

"How long ago did I die?" Lucius asked.

"Six months," Draco answered.

"I didn't even know you had gotten married," Lucius's lips tightened. "But you have a son as well?"

"Congratulations," Crouch said irritably. "Don't you think this would be a better reunion inside?" Draco remained silent for a long moment.

"Don't be stupid Barty," Riddle said softly. "He's not letting us in."

Lucius looked between Voldemort and Draco, "Draco…"

"Astoria take Scorpius inside," Draco told his wife and she slowly walked away with apprehensive eyes. Once she gone, he turned back to the group, "It is nice to see you too Voldemort."

"Draco!" Bellatrix hissed scandalized. "How dare you?! He is your master!"

"Not anymore." Draco said with a definite air of finality. "You understand don't you Voldemort?"

"Perhaps," Riddle allowed. "You are making a grave mistake Draco."

"Not from where I stand," Draco pulled out his wand calmly. "Get off my property. All of you!"

"Draco, what the hell are you doing?! I am your father!" Lucius shouted.

"In name maybe, but you didn't protect me, you didn't even think about me or my mother when you let this lunatic into our lives." Every word was pure cold fury and Draco seemed to be having a hard time containing his emotions. "The worst bit is I believed you, I listened to all your bullshit until I nearly killed a man! What the hell am I doing? I am doing for my son and my wife what you never did for me or mother. Right now you're not the father here, I am, and I'm protecting my family!" Draco held up his wrist and they were confused to see golden bracelet where the Dark Mark used to be. "Oh and I also joined the Order of the Phoenix, should I have mentioned that earlier?"

Suddenly the air was filled with more loud cracks and the Death Eaters realised they were surrounded…

**A/N: Yay this and the introduction of the second veil are tied for my absolutely favourite chapters so far. Yes, yes I know I played with Scorpius's age, gimme a break its AU remember. Let me know if you liked it, ENJOY R&R PLZ!**


	8. Complications

Return From The Veil  
Chapter 7 – Complications

The Death Eaters closed ranks around Voldemort as the Order surrounded them. Caught between the manor's gates and this wall of flesh, it was hard for them to maneuver forcing them to be on the defensive simply deflecting and dodging spells. Apparition was out of the question because they would have to lower their defenses to do it and the Order would capture them. Finally it was Voldemort that provided the much needed separation by creating some sort burst of energy that forced the Order back. Lucius whirled around and attempted to attack Draco through the gate but Draco was ready for him and came out hurling hex after hex with a vengeance. Everyone just knew to leave Harry and Voldemort alone as they met each other spell for spell. But it was Neville and Barty Crouch Jr.'s duel that brought everyone was to standstill.

Neville and Luna were facing Bellatrix and Crouch and Barty kept taunting Neville. "So Longbottom still got that aptitude for Herbology?" Barty laughed. "I've got some more books you may be interested in."

Bellatrix cackled, "Was he a good student then?"

"He was alright, barely had the stomach to watch the Cruciatus though," Crouch leered. "Did it make you think of your useless, mad parents Neville? Are they even still alive? No point in keeping them around really."

"Neville," Luna tried to get his attention but he was so furious, he could barely keep a hold of his emotions.

"Would you like to know what happened?" Crouch hissed viciously. "I bet you've always wonder how two Aurors possibly let death eaters into their house…"

"Neville don't listen to him!" shouted Hermione from nearby, battling with Greyback.

"Now, now he has the right to know," Crouch yelled. "It was me," he practically threw the words in Neville's face. "They let me in thinking I was bringing something from my father. They were wrong."

Neville's features contorted and out of pure rage, he shouted with force, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" and hit Crouch square in the chest. Every single combatant stopped in shock and stared at the two men, waiting for Crouch to hit the ground.

Crouch looked down at his chest then back up at Neville. The realisation dawned on all of them simultaneously and Barty began to laugh joyously. "I guess the mudblood made a mistake, this why filth like her doesn't deserve a wand. Thankfully it worked for the right side." He going to gloat some more but Voldemort appeared, catching hold of his upper arm.

"We're leaving now," Voldemort ordered and no one dared argue. The Death Eaters disappeared and the Order looked between Neville and Hermione.

Hermione's jaw clenched, "We have to get back to Godric's Hollow, Kingsley -"

"I'll send for a Healer," the minister walked off to message the ministry.

"Hermione what was that all about?" Lee asked. "Are they really immortal?"

"No worse," Hermione caught sight of George who turned away. "Much worse."

*RFTV*

The Death Eaters returned to Gregorovitch's workshop, Voldemort paced around while his followers lined the walls. "My lord, forgive me but I do not understand your apprehension," Bellatrix said. "This is great advantage for us if we cannot be killed."

"That is exactly the point Bellatrix you DO NOT understand," Voldemort snapped. "There is no such thing as truly immortality unless one is drinking the Elixir of Life. I have not, have any of you?" he inquired with sarcasm.

"Then why I am still alive?" Crouch rubbed the spot Neville's curse hit.

"You cannot kill the dead again Barty," Riddle growled. "If we had truly returned to life we would have been mortal again. You should be dead but you aren't. A living person would be. Something did go wrong but it did not make us immortal, we were not brought back properly."

**A/N: Hey guys, a shorter chapter I know but this is where things start to get serious so STAY TUNED! ENJOY! R&R PLZ! **


	9. Condition

Return From The Veil  
Chapter 8 – Condition

The Order, including Draco now, sat in the living room back in Godric Hollow as the special Healer from the Department of Mysteries checked out the recently returned. James, Lily, Fred, Remus, and Tonks had already been in and now they were waiting Sirius so they could get the results. Many of them wanted to question Hermione but the girl has such a look of self-hatred and misery, no one dared open their mouths. Hermione was aware of everyone's eyes on her and avoided their gazes. This was all her fault, she should have known better but she just couldn't stop her raging curiosity now look what she got everyone into! Sighing, she got to her feet and went to the kitchen for some water. At the sink a touch on her shoulder told her someone was there, "Hey," Harry said gently.

"What have I done?" Hermione moaned quietly.

"This isn't your fault," Harry insisted, Hermione shook her head and looked away from him. "Hey come on, I thought I was supposed to be the brooding one."

Hermione laughed in her throat, "Have you thought about Ted?" Harry knew it was a subject change but let it slide. "He's bound to recognise them. Tonks could change her face but what about Remus?

"We might have to disguise them both," Harry shrugged. "We'll talk to them about it."

"I was hoping to bring Teddy his parents back," Hermione said bitterly. "I had such grand plans. I was dreaming of reuniting the family with everyone we lost. We'd see Sirius again, Fred, Remus, Tonks – your parents too – we would finally have some true happiness after suffering so much. I've only made things worse."

"You can't blame yourself Hermione," Harry pled.

"Tell me that when Remus and Tonks have to hide from their child and Teddy never knows his parents were there, when George refuses to look at me, when Molly and Arthur lose their son _again_¸ when you say goodbye to your parents and godfather." Hermione forcefully wiped her tears away.

"Guys," Lee knocked on the kitchen doorframe, "the Healer is finished."

Healer Serena Ames was a medium height woman with light brown hair and brown eyes. She was a Healer specifically tasked to the Department of Mysteries to help maintain the secrecy. She too had taken a vow of silence which made her ideal to come to with this problem. It didn't hurt that she too was an Order member. Hermione and Harry returned to the group and Kingsley crossed his arms, "Alright Serena go ahead."

"First of all, you're all perfectly healthy," Serena began. "All organs corporeal and functioning, so you're not ghosts however there are some discrepancies with what I found and what was in your files. Remus, Tonks, Lily, James, and Fred, I don't know if this will make sense but you guys are TOO healthy, it's like everything is brand new. There are always physical markers of age and I tried looking for them. It's hard to tell with Lily, James, and Fred – they were young when they died – but Remus and Tonks it's as if you've become younger. Remus is listed in his mid – to –late thirties but if I had examined him not knowing that I would've said early twenties. Tonks doesn't even look like she ever gave birth. The reason I can see this difference is because Sirius is the exact man that went into the veil eight years ago. Azkaban kept a thorough record of his physical appearance and I've spoken to Harry about his life after prison. His current condition is consistent with his life. But that's not all, Remus you're listed as a lycanthrope…"

Remus held Tonks' hand, "Yes…"

"You're not one anymore."

"WHAT?!"

"No scars, no signs of transformation," Serena looked at her notes. "No trace of werewolf syndrome anywhere, I even used the spell for detecting the venom and it came up with nothing."

"Would this apply to the Death Eaters as well?" Harry inquired.

"I would assume so," Serena nodded.

"Boy is Greyback in for a nasty shock," Bill commented.

"What does this mean?" Lily asked.

"I don't know," Serena sighed. "But the only person I can confidently say is back from the dead is Sirius."

"What do we do now?" Ginny rubbed her face.

"We still need wands," James interjected.

"Not me," Sirius produced his, "forgot I had it when you guys were going to fight."

"Where the bloody hell did you get that?" James demanded.

"Just had it," Sirius shrugged.

"That's right," Harry said comprehendingly. "Sirius went into the veil with his wand."

"Alright but we still need them," Fred interjected. "Maybe they can kill us, maybe not, personally I'd rather not find out the hard way."

"Good point Fred but we can't just bring any of you to Diagon Alley," Kingsley admitted. "We've told the public of a considerable dark threat but we can't just go around letting them know people have come back from the dead. It's bad enough that people know there are dark wizards on the loose."

"There are already rumours about it might be Voldemort after your little scene at the ministry," Serena informed them. "You were spotted by some people although you were running at the time so they didn't get a good look to be sure. Sorry guys but you've got recognizable faces especially Sirius and Harry."

"So there's no way of getting us wands," Tonks said dejectedly.

"I wouldn't say that," Harry made a face. "Your wands are still around, getting them just won't be all that pleasant."

"You're not actually suggesting…" Ron stared at him.

"What?" Fred looked between. "Where are they?"

George was the one to answer, "In your graves."

**A/N: Okay I want it on the record that I know that's weird and kind of reminiscent of Voldemort but it's very important for them to go to the graveyard as you will see in the next chapter so just trust me, ENJOY R&R PLZ! **


	10. The Graveyard

Return From The Veil  
Chapter 9 – The Graveyard

Just their luck that night would fall as they entered the Godric's Hollow cemetery. It was considerably warm but an occasional cool breeze swept across raising goosebumps on their skin. Sparing a glace for the Potter family monument, they made their way to a line of gravestones a few rows in. Following the war, they chose to bury the family together so the group came to a stop in front of four headstones; the one devoted to Lily and James, one for Remus and Tonks on the left, Fred after them, and Sirius though he never had a funeral but got a marker too beside them.

"Well this is eerie," Fred commented. "Kind of brings a whole new definition to that saying 'over my dead body'."

"No kidding. I cannot believe we're doing this," Tonks hugged herself.

"Yeah well we don't have many options in front of us," Remus reminded her although he too was having a hard time disguising his displeasure.

"Come on let's get this over with," Ron raised his wand, as did Harry, Hermione, and Sirius.

"DIFFINDO!" The ground cracked open with small puffs of dirt flying into the air.

"ACCIO WANDS!" Five wands flew out of the cracks and the casters gingerly caught them. They were surprisingly clean in comparison to what they thought would come out but that didn't stop them from performing a cleaning charm for their friends before handing them over.

"That's better," James rolled his wand in his hand. "I can't believe I just desecrated my own grave but I am glad to have my wand again."

"Me too," Lily agreed. "Besides I'm not dead anymore for now, I don't suppose my bones will mind."

"Okay can we just get out of here?" Ron shifted uncomfortably. "This place gives me the creeps at night."

Fred nodded fervently, "Amen to that little brother, let's go," they started to leave and had made it feet away from the gates when Hermione stopped in front one of the oldest there. The writing on the old stone was even harder to read now but still somewhat discernable as was that little symbol etched above the name. The grave of Ignotus Peverell.

"What's up Hermione?" Ron asked before catching sight of the grave.

"Whose grave is this?" Remus ran a hand over the aged stone. "It's old."

"Ignotus Peverell," Harry replied. "The creator and original owner of the cloak."

"Think we can use the veil to call him back and ask him how to take it apart?" Hermione asked rhetorically.

"Well Grindelwald supposedly came here to look at it for clues when the Hallows were lost," Harry supplied. "Then again he did end up with the Elder Wand rather the Cloak so I can't imagine he found anything of use."

"Grindelwald?" James's eyebrows rose.

"Long story dad," Harry dismissed.

"But it's just a grave, what could be so important about it?" Fred shrugged.

Another cool breeze passed and the greenery surrounding the grave shifted and Hermione saw something she hadn't noticed before. She knelt in front of the stone slab, "I think there is something written here." She cleared the base of the weeds and grass that grew around it, revealing an old inscription written in Latin, _quod secretum meum mihi facere in interitum et faciam illud gravi. _

"What does it say?" Lily asked.

"That secret which is mine, I will carry it to death and keep it in my grave," Remus translated.

"DIdn't know you knew Latin Moons," Sirius commented.

"Most spells are done in Latin," said Remus. "Defence spells especially."

"And as equals, they departed this life," Hermione murmured not listening.

"What was that?" Lily heard her.

"Just thinking about the story," Hermione stood up. "I wonder if Ignotus was being both literal and figurative too."

"You mean you think there's something inside of his grave?" Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Do the words 'rest in peace' mean anything here?" James asked the thin air.

Hermione rubbed her temples, "I don't think we can afford to leave any stones unturned. There are possibly immortal Death Eaters on the loose and we need more information on the Hallows."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other for a long while and she knew exactly what her best friend was thinking about. Voldemort had opened Dumbledore's tomb for the wand and it was bad enough that they had just done something similar even if the dead in question were standing right beside them. Yes they would be disturbing a man's grave in the name of the Hallows but this wasn't the same thing, they didn't want to get the Hallows, they wanted to stop them. "I don't like this…" Harry finally said.

"Neither do I," Hermione countered rolling up her sleeves. The rest had watched the silent exchange and realized what they had to do before anyone said anything. They circled the grave and pointed their wands at the top slab that covered the tomb.

"BOMBARDA!"

The tomb burst open and the group dived out of the way to avoid the flying debris that scattered everywhere. Eventually dust settled and they tentatively peered inside the coffin – the grave of Ignotus Peverell was lined with a thick layer of dust whether that was from time or them they did not know but what they could see was that it was empty save for one object, right where the head should have been, a leather bound journal.

**A/N: The story of the Peverell brothers coming soon. STAY TUNED! ENJOY! R&R PLZ! **


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